1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band is the summer of 1918, Saturday morning, by the sea in South Carolina, U.S.A. The people involved includes Julia, Herman, Mattie, Fanny, Lula, and Nelson. As the play unfolds, everyone except Julia and Herman realized the guy that Julia was seeing was white. Julia and Herman's relationship was not accepted by many people so they would see each other secretly. At one point, Herman proposed to Julia only to die by the ending scene.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
The intrusion was Herman getting sick. After this happens many people's perspective on their relationship shifts. This is probably because the women that live near Julia expected for her to take care of Herman til the very end. They were able to love each other regardless of race. Herman's mother and sister also came to see him once the audience found out that he was dying. This was when the audience realise how how Herman's condition has affected his mother and sister. His mother is "weary and subdued" from how sick Herman has become. As for Annabeth, she seems to trust that she will treat her brother well until his passing.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
This was the day that Julia meets Mattie and Fanny for the first time.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Herman and Julia still get married? and How will society affect their relationship?
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
In the beginning of the play Julia wanted to marry Herman. At first, the obstacle would seem like it was "me against another individual(s)" because of the problems both face with Fanny and Mattie. However, the true obstacle was "me against Society" because the one thing stopping them from getting married was, in fact, the law banning whites and blacks from intermingling. By the end of the play it seemed like Julia wanted to make Herman's death as pleasant as possible and spend his last moments with him.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
The most theatrical moments would have to be towards the end of the script as Herman was dying. Another theatrical moment was when the audience and Julia found out about Herman being sick.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
The themes that I noticed in Wedding Band were Family issues between Herman and his family; and racial disputes in the society.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
In Wedding Band, Family's what's holding Herman back from leaving North Carolina with Julia. In a way, his family was a restriction on his love life. He's said he's always putting other women before Julia, including his mother and sister.
The stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band is the summer of 1918, Saturday morning, by the sea in South Carolina, U.S.A.
The people involved includes Julia, Herman, Mattie, Fanny, Lula, and Nelson. As the play unfolds, everyone except Julia and Herman realized the guy that Julia was seeing was white. Julia and Herman's relationship was not accepted by many people so they would see each other secretly. At one point, Herman proposed to Julia only to die by the ending scene.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
The intrusion was Herman getting sick. After this happens many people's perspective on their relationship shifts. This is probably because the women that live near Julia expected for her to take care of Herman til the very end. They were able to love each other regardless of race. Herman's mother and sister also came to see him once the audience found out that he was dying. This was when the audience realise how how Herman's condition has affected his mother and sister. His mother is "weary and subdued" from how sick Herman has become. As for Annabeth, she seems to trust that she will treat her brother well until his passing.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
This was the day that Julia meets Mattie and Fanny for the first time.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Herman and Julia still get married? and How will society affect their relationship?
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
In the beginning of the play Julia wanted to marry Herman. At first, the obstacle would seem like it was "me against another individual(s)" because of the problems both face with Fanny and Mattie. However, the true obstacle was "me against Society" because the one thing stopping them from getting married was, in fact, the law banning whites and blacks from intermingling. By the end of the play it seemed like Julia wanted to make Herman's death as pleasant as possible and spend his last moments with him.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
The most theatrical moments would have to be towards the end of the script as Herman was dying. Another theatrical moment was when the audience and Julia found out about Herman being sick.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
The themes that I noticed in Wedding Band were Family issues between Herman and his family; and racial disputes in the society.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
In Wedding Band, Family's what's holding Herman back from leaving North Carolina with Julia. In a way, his family was a restriction on his love life. He's said he's always putting other women before Julia, including his mother and sister.